Inset: Peter Schwartz (Nueces County Jail). Background: Peter Schwartz deploys pepper spray during the Jan. 6 riot in Washington, D.C. (FBI).
A prominent Jan. 6 defendant pardoned by President Donald Trump has been arrested again, this time in Texas.
Peter Schwartz, 53, is charged federally with one count of possessing a firearm after a felony conviction, according to court records reviewed by Law&Crime. Corpus Christi police also arrested him on allegations of driving with a suspended license, possessing a controlled substance, and unlawfully carrying a weapon.
Schwartz was convicted in December 2022 on nine of the 11 counts stemming from his conduct during the pro-Trump attack on the U.S. Capitol. He was among the first rioters convicted of assaulting law enforcement with a “chemical irritant” and was sentenced to 14 years in prison, the longest sentence imposed on any Jan. 6 defendant at the time.
Trump pardoned Schwartz in January 2025. A federal district judge in Washington, D.C., subsequently dismissed his case in March 2025.
But as of Tuesday, a federal magistrate judge had ordered Schwartz held without release while he awaits trial on the new charge.
The Kentucky-based traveling welder’s latest legal problems began on the evening of July 14, when Corpus Christi police received a report of a “traffic hazard” near Bob Hall Pier, according to a federal criminal complaint submitted by an agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
“The notes on the call stated a subject was doing donuts around the 911 callers’ truck, the caller approached the truck, and the suspect pulled a gun on the 911 caller,” the complaint says. “The 911 caller was able to describe the truck as a silver Chevrolet truck with chrome wheels, driven by a white male with tattoos and provided the license plate…The truck had a sticker of a flaming skull on the back windshield and had a female passenger in the front seat.”
Investigators say Schwartz was driving the Chevrolet described by the caller.
That night, U.S. park rangers located and stopped the pickup at Padre Island National Seashore after Corpus Christi police issued a be-on-the-lookout, or BOLO, alert.
“After informing both individuals they were detained, they both refused to identify themselves,” the charging document reads.
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Authorities say the defendant’s driver’s license was invalid “due to DUI refusals.” The park ranger also noted that Schwartz had “a strong odor of alcohol emitting from his breath, had slurred speech, and was very argumentative” during the stop, according to the complaint.
Inside the truck, the rangers found an open container of Miller Lite, “a small dime bag containing suspected cocaine,” two loaded pistols, and “drug paraphernalia such as a small mirror with three straws with suspected cocaine residue,” the charging document says.
The ATF agent followed up and found a Facebook profile, which purportedly belongs to Schwartz, showing the defendant posing “with firearms on a beach within the last two months.” Authorities say the posed pictures were taken in front of the same pickup truck stopped by the park rangers and that in the photos, Schwartz is “wearing a shirt that reads ‘stay strapped or get clapped’ and depicting a gun.”
The charging document goes on to detail an apparent fascination with firearm-related photography and social media updates.
“Within the last two months Schwartz has had other photos of himself in front of the truck with a pistol in his hand, posted on June 2, 2026, and June 27, 2026, along with a photo of himself at Walmart looking at ammunition posted on June 29, 2026,” the complaint continues.
The last time the defendant posed with and posted a photo of himself with a gun was earlier this month, according to the ATF.
“The pistol was within a holster on his waist; this pistol is different than the two firearms he was arrested with prior,” the agent wrote.
Schwartz was arrested on Sept. 9.
On Sept. 15, U.S. Magistrate Judge Julie Hampton found probable cause to keep him detained, citing the evidence against him, his lack of a stable residence and employment, and various other factors.
The post Jan. 6 rioter pardoned by Trump arrested again after ‘doing donuts’ on the beach around 911 caller’s truck and posing with guns, feds say first appeared on Law & Crime.